V3 variation in HIV-seropositive patients receiving a V3-targeted vaccine

Jack Lenz, Mei Su, Yaffa Mizrachi, Michael Burke, Arye Rubinstein

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: To analyze V3 loop sequences of HIV-1 in three seropositive individuals who exhibited declines in viremia while receiving a V3-targeted vaccine. Design: Retrospective analysis of case series at an HIV Clinic, University of Tel Aviv. Patients: Three HIV-1-seropositive, PPD-DTHR-positive (PPD, Siebert purified protein derivative of tuberculin; DTHR, delayed type hypersensitivity reaction) individuals who had been inoculated with a mixture of PPD-cross-linked V3 peptides from five HIV strains and then exhibited declines in HIV-1 viremia during the course of vaccination in the absence of combination antiretroviral therapy and whose virus levels resurged once vaccine boosting was discontinued. Results: Declines in viremia were observed even when the viral V3 sequences of the patients' HIV differed by at least one or two amino acid residues from those of the five peptides in the vaccine. Although viral mutants with amino acid substitutions within V3 appeared during vaccination, plasma virus loads remained at low levels for several months after these variants appeared. About a year after boosting was discontinued, anti-V3 peptide antibodies in the patients had declined and plasma virus returned to the prevaccination levels or higher. Compared with the isolates that predominated during the course of vaccination, the resurgent viruses contained zero to six amino acid residue differences in the V3 loop but few synonymous substitutions. Conclusions: Viruses with altered V3 sequences did emerge but did not result in increased viremia during the course of vaccination. In two individuals where V3 mutations were absent in the virus that re-emerged after vaccine boosting ceased, resurgence could not have been a consequence of V3 changes.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)577-581
Number of pages5
JournalAIDS
Volume15
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 30 2001

Keywords

  • Antibodies
  • Envelope proteins
  • HIV sequence variability
  • Immune-based therapy
  • Vaccine

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Immunology
  • Infectious Diseases

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'V3 variation in HIV-seropositive patients receiving a V3-targeted vaccine'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this